Reviewed by Dannielle Viera
When Tom has a bad day at school, he thunders home with tears raining down. His mother waits patiently, plate of cookies at hand, until the tempest subsides. Tom fiddles with the camera his grandfather gave him. ‘Zooming in. Zooming out.’ His mother reminds Tom of what his grandfather taught him about taking photos: when he controls the zoom, he chooses the view. Together, they reframe the events of the day, and the ‘big picture’ chases the clouds from Tom’s troubled mind.
Dannika Patterson’s stunning story is a timely reminder to kids aged five to nine that perspective is everything. When they make a mistake, it can seem like the biggest thing in the world – until they mentally ‘zoom out’ and consider a broader panorama of the situation. A masterful use of storm imagery impresses upon the young reader Tom’s changing demeanor in a highly evocative way, while the overlying camera metaphor is genuinely clever and easily comprehended.
A flood of deep blues washes across Ross Morgan’s illustrations, reflecting Tom’s overwhelm and anguish. But a hint of the happy insight to come is evident in the warmth of Tom’s dog, whose quiet companionship nudges the boy towards calm contemplation. When the sun shines on clarity, the colours that sparkle on the pages are as light as Tom’s heart.
Presented with great sensitivity, Zoom is a
picture-perfect take on resilience. It will encourage youngsters to develop
their skills in objectivity and optimism and to focus on the positive rather
than the negative.
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